In America, the authorities now refer to a police dog as a canine unit. And you don’t give away cats. You rehome them. Don’t forget feral cats. They are now community cats. Some pets are no longer pets. They may be fur babies. Or companion animals. Or whatever you think is right at the time.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”